Re: basic question about analytic functions

> Well, I may ask you where you heard that from. Analytical functions
> provide "windowing" capability that is either difficult or impossible

The OP is right. In many cases, AFs make a query a lot faster, especially when a query is either difficult or impossible. And it's through those very windowing capabilities that make the query faster. I didn't say, AFs are magical and always make a query faster.

> to achieve with regular SQL. I would suggest that you read up on the
> ORACLE DOC and see what it is all about. With analytical functions you
> can calculate aggregates, such as SUM, in many different ways. You can
> even massage it so that it gives you the same output as your regular

> aggregate SQLs. But it really serves no purpose.

This is like saying indexes serve no purpose because the result is still the same.

Rene Nyffenegger

-- 
  no sig today